Video card games, in particular Video Poker, have been popular for many years. However, due to the limited number of cards in a standard deck the possible combinations restrict large jackpot payouts.
Most Video Poker games pay the largest jackpot prize for a Royal Flush (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten of same suit). Whilst the chances of receiving this hand on an initial deal is very low (1 in 649,740 games) there are usually many other combinations that pay a prize. If some of these other paying combinations are removed to increase the jackpot prize whilst still ensuring that the machine does not make a loss, the game loses popularity with players as prizes are paid out less frequently.
Non-standard decks of cards have been used in Video Poker games previously, e.g. in the game known as “Jokers Wild” where a Joker is added to the deck and is used as a “wild” symbol that can represent any other card. This only compounds the problem of paying large prizes as there is a 1 in 53 chance of a Joker being dealt on the initial deal each game and this significantly increases the chance of a payment being made to a player.